Is BP Finished Cleaning Up Oil?

Baldwin County beaches have come a long way since the BP oil disaster 18 months ago. But there is still areas being impacted.

"We're still picking up anywhere from two to four hundred pounds a day with crews, hand crews, most areas of the beach, says Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft. "We don't get quite that much but with rough weather we do. In rough weather the oil mats break up and come ashore," according to Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon.

According to BP 90 percent of the Gulf of Mexico coastline is now clean. So they've come up with a plan to finish the clean up. "It defines standards to which we have to clean existing impacted areas of shoreline, marsh or wetlands," says the head of BP's Gulf Coast Restoration organization, Mike Utsler.

The coast guard has signed off on the plan but coastal mayors say the job isn't finished yet. "I think this defines the process of when they can leave. When it is time to leave but it is not time to leave here," says Craft. Kennon agrees, "I'm comfortable with any exit strategy they won't but they are not leaving until the beach is cleaned and we don't have any issues as far as i'm concerned."

According to the report there are different standards of clean depending on where you are. On a beach in a wildlife area. Which means if you do find oil on the beach that beach still could be considered clean.

Utlser concedes the job isn't finished. "It still leaves 10 percent and we are still working and we've got to demonstrate those segments to be removed and we will continue to be there to do so."

Finding oil on the beaches may not be as easy as it once was but it's still there.